This film is long overdue. Regrettably, we live in a lopsided world where the religious point of view is largely unchallenged. Major Hollywood films like "The Ten Commandments", "The Robe", "The Passion of Christ" effectively evoke a sense of authenticity for the historicity of Jesus Christ and the existence of God. The television media is conspicuously right wing, espousing its entangled political-religious propaganda, while fundamentalist evangelists contaminate the airwaves with their self-serving plea for viewers to save themselves by "reaching deep into their pockets" to subsidize the rescue mission.
In his stride, Bill Maher pokes fun at the lunacy of religion (no great feat considering the vast scope of material at his disposal). However, he recognizes the crux of the issue and goes further. He calls to attention the root of the problemthe real danger of organized religion: its mission to convert or conquer the "infidel". In so doing, he elevates his film from a comedy to a call to arms, alerting the complacent or beguiled to wake up and take notice.
He recognizes that religion is worse than sheer lunacy or some form of neurosis, it is an organized force to be reckoned with. Theocracy after theocracy attest loudly and clearly to the horrible consequences of being beguiled by the notion of a benevolent Father who offers us unconditional love, or the familiar bribe of a blissful afterlife. These are the bait that conceal a religion's hidden agendaabsolute authority. By force or otherwise, such religions infiltrate the political system, the judiciary, and the educational system in order to seize control. Having reached this end, all who oppose the established theocracy's "legal" demand for conformity to its dogma, laws, customs, dress, even diets, are effectively silenced, one way or another.
